Guidance

27 March 2025: Personal imports of products from FMD-susceptible animals from certain third countries and territories

Updated 4 April 2025

OVS note number: 2025/24

Date: 27 March 2025

Purpose

1. To inform you of the tightened restrictions, from 28 March 2025, of personal imports of products from FMD-susceptible animals from the EU single market area into GB, to mitigate the risk of foot and mouth disease (FMD).

Background

2. Hungary notified WOAH of an outbreak of foot and mouth disease (FMD) on 7 March 2025: WAHIS (see OVS note 2025/19). Hungary reported a further outbreak of FMD on 26 March 2025. The outbreak was detected in a cattle herd on a farm in Győr-Moson-Sopron County, 7km from the border with Austria.

3. Personal imports from the EU single market area of products from FMD-susceptible animals have already been restricted via TARP safeguard declarations (see OVS note 2025/04).

4. These declarations, which previously suspended personal imports of products from FMD-susceptible animals (including those commercially produced and packaged) from Germany as an FMD-affected country, were updated on 7 March 2025 to suspend personal imports of the same products from Hungary and Slovakia (see OVS note 2025/20).

5. Due to the proximity of the new outbreak with Austria, these declarations have been updated again to suspend personal imports of the same products from Austria.

6. ‘FMD-susceptible animals’ means a cow, bull, sheep, goat, deer, camel, llama, alpaca, guanaco, vicuna, any other ruminant, any swine (that is, a member of the suborder Suina of the order Artiodactyla) or elephant.

7. Imports of the following commodities into GB are suspended:

a) products from FMD-susceptible animals originating from Germany, Hungary, Slovakia or Austria where the product is intended for personal consumption or use

b) products from susceptible animals originating from a territory subject to special transitional import arrangements other than Germany, Hungary, Slovakia or Austria where the product is intended for personal consumption or use

8. Restrictions on the products in Point 7 do not apply if the product is:

a) a good listed in Part 1 of Annex I to Regulation 2019/2122, and:

i. the product complies with the relevant conditions set out in Part 1 of Annex I to Regulation 2019/2122; and

ii. the combined weight of products imported at any given time does not exceed 2 kg

or

b) bread, cakes, biscuits, waffles or wafers, rusks, toasted bread or a similar toasted product containing less than 20% of processed dairy and egg products and treated as provided for in point (a)(i) of Article 6(1) of Commission Decision 2007/275/EC

c) chocolate or confectionary (including sweets) containing less than 50 % of processed dairy and egg products and treated as provided for in point (a)(i) of Article 6(1) of Commission Decision 2007/275/EC

d) food supplements packaged for the final consumer containing small amounts (in total less than 20%) of processed animal products (including glucosamine, chondroitin or chitosan, or both chondroitin and chitosan) other than meat products; or

e) pasta or noodles not mixed or filled with meat product containing less than 50% of processed dairy and egg products and treated as provided for in point (a)(i) of Article 6(1) of Commission Decision 2007/275/EC

9. Restrictions on the products mentioned in Point 7(b) do not apply if the combined weight of products imported at any given time does not exceed 2 kg; and

a) where the product is a product of animal origin intended for human consumption, it bears a health mark or an identification mark; or

b) where the product is an animal by-product or a derived product, it:

i. is packaged in accordance with Article 23(1) of Regulation (EC) No 767/2009 of the European Parliament and of the Council on the placing on the market and use of feed2, as it has effect in EU law, and includes on the package the name and address of the feed business operator responsible for its labelling under Article 12(2) of that Regulation; or

ii. has a label attached to the packaging, container or vehicle, describing the product and stating to which category of animal by-products it belongs.

10. The following safeguard declarations give effect to these prohibitions, published on our topical issues page:

• amendment to declarations of special measures: personal imports of products from susceptible animals from Austria, Hungary and Slovakia (England)
• declaration of special measures: personal   imports   of products from susceptible animals from Austria, Germany, Hungary and Slovakia (Scotland)
• amendment to declarations of special measures: personal imports of products from susceptible animals from Austria, Hungary and Slovakia (Wales)

11. The special measures will apply from 28 March 2025 and will continue to apply until they are revoked or amended.

Actions for OVSs

12. To note the contents of this OVS note.

Contact point for enquiries

bbtp-issue-triage@defra.gov.uk

imports@apha.gov.uk

Imports and EU Trade Team